Tips on How To Write A CV

Your CV is your one opportunity to sell yourself to a potential employer, and it is vital that you do it well. Most people do not know how to write a CV and you will have a head-start on the other candidates if you hone your Curriculum Vitae into a remarkable document. It may take as long as a day to perfect a CV, even with CV writing help. You can find CV advice at online academic advisory services such as GrammarHolic.com and you will be able to separate yourself from perhaps one hundred or so others who apply for the same position.

Look at your CV from the employer's viewpoint. They may have received one hundred or more applications, yet have perhaps two hours set aside to assess them. What an employer really needs to know is why you should be invited for an interview, and first impressions really matter. Even if you are confident that you know how to write your CV, if you don't attract attention at the start then your chances will be greatly reduced. This is not to say that your CV should make outrageous statements just to become noticed, but a short summary of your capabilities, major achievements, and relevant work experience will help the employer to identify you as an appropriate candidate.

Use simple, but impeccable language, being clear and concise. If you know how to write your CV you will know that every word on a CV is valuable, and the quality of information is what really matters. How you describe your experience and skills is crucial, and you should address these directly to the job, making them relevant so that you cannot be ignored.

9 Steps to a Perfect CV

Although it is generally agreed that there is no such thing as a perfect CV, there are certain important aspects which no good CV should be without. The layout, for example, should not look crammed. Space around the text leads the eye towards the information which you are trying to present in the best possible way. The employer will find it easier to skim your CV quickly to identify your key strengths, and this is exactly what you should aim for.

Also aim for a length of two, or perhaps three, A4 pages. Plan these out in a straightforward format which begins with a personal profile, setting out your skills and attributes. Follow this with your employment history in chronological order backwards from your current or most recent job. Any professional qualifications and training is next, also any other relevant skills such as familiarity with certain IT equipment and software, a clean driving licence, and any foreign languages you may have learned.

Academic qualifications should normally be quite brief, unless you have recently graduated or are shortly to graduate. This would probably have more relevance to a potential employer than previous work experience in this instance.

Finally, your personal interests should be considered carefully when writing a good CV. This is not merely 'things I like doing'. If they do not add positively to the picture of yourself which you are creating then do not include them.